A (generic) Benadryl hangover does not set the stage for a smooth re-entry into everyday life. I knocked myself out cold with children’s diphenhydramine last night, and this morning I am still a little hazy and a lot irritable. I try not to take the stuff at all, but I was having a humdinger of an allergy attack and I succumbed. Maybe someday I’ll remember how beastly I feel after taking it.
Because just being under the influence of over-the-counter medication isn’t enough, we also dealt with random nighttime vomiting from Pete in the middle of the night. (Both of the kids got sick last week, but this doesn’t seem to be related. Bonus yak!) And then the towel bar fell off the wall this morning, and every item of clothing we own needs to be folded and put away, and the dustpan broke and sent cat litter dust all of the kitchen floor and I had to call Hazmat in to clean it up.
Sigh.
Anyway.
We were on vacation last week, and this week we are not. I believe I’m suited for a life of leisure, and every time we end a vacation I find myself wondering why we didn’t pursue Independent Wealth as a career path. It was a lovely vacation week, though, with lots of time spent in the pool and with family. I’m even sporting what, on me, passes for a tan. That is, I’m a slightly darker shade of pale than normal. Some other things I did:
“The Cutout,” which was better than I’d expected it to be.
Probably three-quarters of Joe Biden’s “Promises to Keep,” which was very interesting until it started to put me to sleep.
Watched
A very impressive fireworks display.
A lot of local news broadcasts.
“America’s Got Talent,” because it’s my dad’s favorite summer programming.
“Super 8,” which Rockford had already seen and wanted me to see. It was the best “ET” meets “Stand By Me” movie I’ve ever seen. (Really, I enjoyed it.)
“Bridesmaids,” which made me laugh and is still making Rockford laugh.
What did you do for summer vacation? Or what are you going to do? And how do you make your return-to-normal a little easier to handle?
Knorr sent me a package of their new “Homestyle Stock” this week, and they asked me to come up with a recipe using it. My first inclination was to make a soup, but it’s so hot out. Also, we were at my dad’s house when I was coming up with a plan. And how could I not take advantage of his grilling acumen? So instead of soup, I decided to make a marinade for some grilled chicken. We’re big fans of red curry paste, and Rockford loves pineapple in almost any configuration. Turns out the two flavors work very well together!
I think that pheasant is judging me. Sorry, bird, but your brethren was delicious.
Grilled Pineapple-Curry Chicken
Serves four; 4-6 hours marinating time + 25-30 minutes cooking time
1 container Knorr Homestyle Stock, chicken flavor 2 tablespoons red curry paste (or to taste) 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup pineapple juice 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Combine first four ingredients and mix until well-blended. Pour mixture over chicken breast halves and refrigerate for four to six hours. Grill over medium-high heat 12-15 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve over rice with pineapple-curry sauce and grilled pineapple slices.
Pineapple-Curry Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons red curry paste (or to taste)
Juice from one 16oz can pineapple slices
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a sauce pan. Add curry paste; mash and stir until blended. Set aside 1/4 cup pineapple juice. Slowly add remaining juice, stirring frequently to blend. Make a slurry using withheld pineapple juice and cornstarch; add to curry mixture. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened.
Grilled Pineapple Slices
1 16oz can pineapple slices, drained (reserve juice for pineapple-curry sauce)
cinnamon
soy sauce
Place pineapple slices on a large piece of foil (large enough to totally enclose the pineapple). Sprinkle with cinnamon and soy sauce; fold foil into a packet. Grill over indirect heat 20-30 minutes.
The end result wasn’t spicy at all, but it had a nice warm curry flavor. Even Dad — who claims not to like curry — enjoyed it.
Now, the disclaimerish stuff: Knorr is going to be launching their Homestyle Stock next month at BlogHer. They’re going to be picking eight people who’ve submitted recipes to go to BlogHer for a cook-off, and then four of those people will become the “Knorr Four, an exclusive panel of bloggers who Knorr will look to for insight and expertise on recipe creation,” etc. So while I wasn’t compensated for this post, I was provided with a package of Knorr Homestyle Stock. And they might send me to BlogHer. The thought of which makes me rather nervous.
